Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Cabinet Office DEL will be decreased by £3,953,000 from £258,005,000 to £254,052,000.The gross administration costs limits will be decreased by £1,753,000 from £217,028,000 to £215,275,000 and the net administration cost limits decreased by £2,155,000 from £2,97 7,000 to £822,000.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the table: £'000s

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from a machinery of government transfer of £370,000 to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the Internal Audit Service, transfer of £8,489,000 parliamentary counsel office funding to other Government Departments, draw down of end-year flexibility of £5,000,000 to cover anticipated cost pressures, transfer of £45,000 to the security and intelligence agencies (SIA) to cover resource cost of a modernisation project and the transfer of £49,000 from the countries at risk of instability (CRI) budget back to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from the transfer of £2,000,000 capital to SIA towards a modernisation project.

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Inland Revenue departmental expenditure limit will be increased by £133,643,000 from £3,358,210,000 to £3,491,853,000 and the administration costs limit will be increased by £94,530,000 from £3,075,757,000 to £3,170,287,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from increases in gross administration costs, mainly, £61,544,000 met from the central reserve to enable the GOGGS East building to be brought onto the Department's balance sheet. A further increase of £29,000,000 and £3,400,000, which is also being met from the central reserve for continued work on child trust fund and for team bonus payments, respectively. The Treasury are to transfer £99,000, for the cost of capital in respect of the GOGGS East building. Cabinet Office will be transferring £1,790,000, due to the change in funding arrangements for the Parliamentary Counsel Office; and, Department for Work and Pensions are transferring £1,661,000, for child benefit work on the payment modernisation programme and the child benefit cheque payment service. These transfers are partially off set by a transfer of £2,964,000 to the Treasury to meet the costs of the transfer of tax policy work for the first half of the financial year.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from an increase of £97,477,000 from the central reserve to enable the GOGGS East building to be brought onto the Department's balance sheet. This increase is partially offset by an accounting adjustment of £58,364,000, in relation to the assets transferred to CapGemini the Department's new IT service provider.

£'000s

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, National Savings and Investments DEL will be increased by £5,500,000 from £172,026,000 to £177,526,000 and the administration costs limits will be increased by £5,500,000 from £172,026,000 to £177,526,000. Within DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are set out in the table:

* Depreciation which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from end year flexibility being drawn down to support expenditure on major project commitments. Such projects include the work being carried out for compliance with evidence of identity requirements, Internet development work and also for some of the savings accounts implementation. There have also been some planned increases in the level of direct marketing expenditure that is being carried out to ensure that net financing targets are being met.

There is no change in the capital element of DEL.

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Office for National Statistics DEL will increase by £12,631,000 from £178,004,000 to £190,635,000. The Office for National Statistics winter supplementary incorrectly overstated the administration costs limit. This supplementary corrects the position. The administration costs limit will increase by £4,472,000 from £152,990,000 to £157,462,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from the draw down of £4,679,000 administration costs end year flexibility as set out in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (Cm 6293). This is partially offset by a transfer of £207,000 in total to other Government Departments in relation to work to develop the neighbourhood statistics programme. The transfers comprise £171,000 to the Home Office and £36,000 to HM Customs and Excise.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from the draw down of £8,229,000 capital end year flexibility as set out in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (Cm 6293). This is partially offset by a transfer of £70,000 to HM Customs and Excise in relation to work to develop the neighbourhood statistics programme.

The administration costs limit will be increased by £4,472,000 from £152,990,000 to £157,462,000.

£'000s

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the HM Customs and Excise departmental expenditure limit will be increased by £135,698,000 from £1,407,608,000 to £1,543,306,000 and the administration costs limit will be increased by £34,018,000 from £1,218,491,000 to £1,252,509,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

administration costs increases of £53,168,000 from the Central Reserve to enable the GOGGS East building to be brought onto the Department's balance sheet; a transfer of £85,000 from HM Treasury for the cost of capital charges in respect of GOGGS; and a transfer of £36,000 from the Office for National Statistics in respect of data development work. These are partially offset by a transfer of £1,271,000 to HM Treasury to meet the costs of the transfer of tax policy work for the first half of the financial year and virement from administration costs to programme expenditure of £18,000,000; and

programme expenditure changes relating to virement from administration costs to programme expenditure of £18,000,000; and a transfer to the Home Office to meet additional costs of anti-terrorism work of £600,000.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from increases of £84,210,000 from the central reserve to enable the GOGGS East building to be brought onto the Department's balance sheet; and £70,000 from the Office for National Statistics in respect of data development work.

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Government Actuary's departmental expenditure limit will be increased by £130,000 from £1,309,000 to £1,439,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from the partial draw down of capital end-year flexibility (EYF) of £130,000. This is required to meet the costs arising from the replacement of pension's valuation software and the implementation of a document management system.

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, HM Treasury DEL will be increased by £6,383,000 from £251,764,000 to £258,147,000 and the administration costs limits will be increased by £7,883,000 from £152,509,000 to £160,392,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

an increase in total Treasury administrative costs of £7,883,000 resulting from:

the Treasury's offices at 1 Horse Guards Road being held at a valuation based on commercial property market rents. There are indications of a fall in market rents in the Victoria/Whitehall area during 2004–05, which would give rise to an accounting charge. To cover the estimated charge, £9,000,000 will be drawn from a fund of End Year Flexibility (EYF) ring fenced for the purpose;

the Treasury's Spending Review 2002 settlement set in-year administration funding at a level lower than forecast spending, anticipating that the shortfall would be met from a draw down of EYF. The projected shortfall in 2004–05 is up to £3,000,000, which will be drawn from EYF accordingly;

the funding consequences of the transfer of tax policy functions from the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise to the Treasury. These were partly dealt with in the Winter Supplementary Estimate, but a further £4,235,000 of funding in relation to the first part of 2004–05 remains to be transferred to the Treasury in order to properly account for the transfer, in accordance with the Resource Accounting Manual;

a transfer of £184,000 from HM Treasury to the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise for the cost of capital on GOGGS East land following its transfer to said departments;

the completion of the refurbishment of 1 Parliament Street (the east end of the building formerly known as Government Offices Great George Street), this required the Treasury to transfer assets relating to 1 Parliament Street from its books to the books of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise. There is an accounting profit of £8,168,000 to the Treasury on the disposal;

an increase in the Office of Government Commerce' (OGC) appropriations in aid (A in A) of £725,000 and a matching £725,000 increase in expenditure for the engagement of consultants on behalf of other bodies;

an increase in A in A programme of £300,000 and a matching £300,000 increase in spend for the Office of Paymaster General to bring the Estimate in line with forecasts;

an increase in A in A programme of £240,000 and a matching £240,000 increase in spend for Pool Re renegotiation costs;

a DEL neutral switch of £1,390,000 programme from non-voted to voted for Request for Resources 3 from the OGC's Efficiency Challenge Fund allocation; and

a decrease in A in A programme of £875,000 and a matching £875,000 decrease in spend due to the transfer of the Whitehall Systems 1 from OGC to OGCbuying.solutions.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

a partial draw down of capital eyf of £22,433,000 and the subsequent transfer of that funding to Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise for the transfer of the 1 Parliament Street assets referred to above. These changes net to zero;

a partial draw down of eyf of £1,500,000 by HM Treasury for the purchase of information systems software and hardware;

an increase in non-operating A in A of £11,550,000 and a loan of £8,550,000 both related to the transfer of the Whitehall Systems from OGC to OGCbuying.solutions.

1 The Whitehall Systems are backup heating and electricity power systems, previously operated and accounted for by OGC. Responsibility for them is being transferred to OGCbuying.solutions. OGC is surrendering its funding for cost of capital charges. OGCbuying.solutions is paying £11.55m for the assets, £3m in cash and £8.55m via a loan from OGC.

Ministry of Defence votes A 2005–06, will be laid before the House on 22 February as HC 291. This outlines the maximum numbers of personnel to be maintained for service in the armed forces for financial year 2005–06. Copies of these reports will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The 2005 report of the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body has been published today. Copies of the report are available in the Vote Office and in the Library of the House. I wish to express my thanks to the chairman and members of the review body for their clear and wide-ranging report.

The AFPRB has recommended an increase in basic military salary of 3 per cent. for all other ranks and officers. The AFPRB has also recommended increases in the rates of specialist pay (eg flying pay, submarine pay, diving pay and hydrographic pay), and in accommodation charges. The AFPRB also recommended a 5 per cent. increase to rates of longer separated service allowance and longer service at sea bonus which are designed to compensate for separation.

The additional cost to the defence budget will be £216 million. This will be met within existing Departmental expenditure limits.

The AFPRB's recommendations are to be accepted in full, with implementation effective from 1 April 2005.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs DEL will be increased by £103,689,000 from £3,178,447,000 to £3,282,136,000 and the administration costs limits will be increased by £38,101,000 from £357,572,000 to £395,673,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from (i) take up of end-year flexibility of £42,464,000 programme resources and £37,902,000 administration resource; (ii) take up of £384,000 administration resources from the Cabinet Office for Parliamentary Counsel costs; (iii) take up of £28,000 of programme resources from Department for Transport to fund coastal protection measures; (iv) take up of £524,000 of programme resources from Department for Trade and Industry for the Red Meat Industry Forum; (v) transfer of £500,000 of programme resources to the Department for International Development to fund projects in eastern Europe, Caucasus and central Asia; (vi) transfer of £42,000 to Department for Trade and Industry to fund the Sustainable Development round table; (vii) transfer of £105,000 of programme resources to the Department for Trade and Industry for the Farm Business Advice service; (xiii) transfer of £44,000 of programme resources to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the Infrastructure Investment programme; (ix) transfer of £80,000 of administration resources to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for contributions related to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

An additional £60,000 transfer from Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be taken up in the 2005–06 Winter Supplementary.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from: (i) take up of end-year flexibility of £23,158,000 capital.

The increases are offsetting inter-departmental transfers and take-up of end-year flexibility, and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

£'000s

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary Eestimate, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be increased by £46,199,000 from £1,883,444,000 to £1,929,643,000 and the administration costs limit will be decreased by £21,151,000 from £793,006,000 to £771,885,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

RfR1

RfR2

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

£'000s

During the course of my statement of 11 January to the House, Official Report, columns 173–186, on the release of British detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, I said that there were no other British citizens detained in Guantanamo Bay. I also stated that I knew of no other citizens detained in similar circumstances elsewhere. That statement in the House was clear and remains accurate.

I would however like to bring to the attention of the House the cases of two British nationals being held as security internees by the coalition forces in Iraq; one is a British national being held by US forces at Camp Bucca, the other is a dual British/Iraqi national and is being held at Shaibah by UK forces.

Both men are being held as security internees in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546 (2004). The International Committee of the Red Cross has access to both detention facilities and family visits are also permitted. Both internees' cases are reviewed regularly by the appropriate authorities.

I am responding on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the 34th report of the review body on doctors' and dentists' remuneration (DDRB) which is published today. Copies of the report are available in the Vote Office and the Library. I am grateful to the chairman and members of the review body for their hard work.

This year's report deals primarily with general dental practitioners, doctors and dentists in training, non-consultant career grade doctors, and medical and dental consultants who have chosen not to take up new contracts. For consultants taking up new contracts, general medical practitioners and the salaried primary dental care services, 2005–06 will be the third year of three-year pay deals agreed as part of NHS pay reforms.

The review body has recommended with effect from April 2005 general increases in remuneration of 3 per cent. for doctors and dentists in training and consultants who remain on the old contract, 3.225 per cent. for non-consultant career grade doctors and an increase of 3.4 per cent. in gross fees for general dental practitioners.

These recommendations are being accepted in full and without staging.

Plans to change the Charity Commission's departmental expenditure limit (DEL) for 2004–05.

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Charity Commission DEL will be increased by £440,000 from £30,608,000 to £31,048,000. The Administration Cost Limit will remain unchanged at £29,509,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from a known peak in E-Business expenditure, and will be funded by take up of part of the Commission's capital end-year flexibility entitlement.

£'000s

I have been considering Sir George Quigley's Review of Parades, the subsequent consultation on his report, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (NIAC) report of January this year and the events of last summer. Each of these offers different perspectives on how to go forward and I have come to a balanced decision about how to respond.

I have decided that a case has not been made to make fundamental changes to parading arrangements in Northern Ireland. Parades have been increasingly peaceful over the last few years. The number of contentious parades has fallen. Out of approximately 2,000 parades notified last year, only 200 were regarded as 'contentious' and two resulted in serious public order incidents. I think this shows the success of the arrangements we have here in reducing tension. I want to echo the words of NIAC, which concluded that the Parades Commission remains the best hope for developing the peaceful resolution of disputes. I will therefore not be pressing forward with the changes recommended by Sir George Quigley at this time. I am, however, indebted to Sir George for his insightful and intelligent contribution to the debate around parades in Northern Ireland. Although I am not adopting his recommendations, my thinking has been greatly influenced by his work and I am, indebted to him for his insightful and intelligent contribution to the debate around parades in Northern Ireland.

I shall be laying an Order in Council to amend the law on parades. The Order makes clear that the Parades Commission can make determinations that include supporters and followers. Some doubts have been raised about the Commission's remit. The police and NIAC have asked me to put the matter beyond doubt before the summer.

At the same time, I intend to take on board Quigley and NIAC's recommendation that parades and related protests should be considered by the same body. The Order will bring protestors within the remit of the Parades Commission. I have been persuaded that the time is right for the Parades Commission to take on this function.

I am also launching a wide-ranging consultation exercise on mediation. I think there is a great deal of potential for mediation to help defuse the tensions surrounding parades and I firmly believe that agreed outcomes are the best way to resolve disputes. However, there has not been agreement about how best to deliver mediation. I have today published a consultation paper on these issues. The consultation will close on 23 May 2005.

NIAC's report contained other recommendations about how the Parades Commission could make the way it carries out its work more effective. I am aware that the Commission are examining these and I look forward to hearing their response.

The Government's decisions on changes to the honours system are contained in the Command Paper "Reform of the Honours System" (Cm 6479) which has been published today. Copies are being placed in the Libraries of the House.

I have today published the Government's national motorcycling strategy. It is the first Government motorcycling strategy and it covers the whole range of issues which apply to motorcycling—suitable infrastructure, traffic management measures, motorcycle design, safety issues including improved training arrangements, and taxation.

The strategy sets out a framework of actions to be pursued over the next few years, principally by central Government, local government, the motorcycle industry and motorcycle user groups, to ensure that motorcycling becomes fully recognised and catered for as a mode of transport on our roads.

Copies of the strategy have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

A consultation exercise has been launched today on the evaluation of the EU process called the "open method of co-ordination". This provides a structure for co-operation between EU member states to enable the exchange of best practice and joint evaluation of policies. The European Commission has invited all EU member states to comment on the effectiveness of this open method in the fields of social inclusion and pensions. The questionnaire has been placed in the Library and is also available online at www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2005/omc/index.asp.

The Government are inviting comments from non-governmental organisations involved with social inclusion or pensions, TUC and CBI and local and regional government to contribute to the UK response. The consultation closes on 30 April to enable a UK response to be drawn up in time for the Commission deadline of 30 June.

In December 2004 we said that our priority was getting help to those facing the most urgent difficulties being closest to, or already at, retirement age and therefore less able to make provision to replace their lost pensions.

At that time we had asked independent trustees to provide data on the pension schemes that they thought might be eligible for the financial assistance scheme. We had a very good response and from the information provided it appears that there are at least 380 schemes in which members might be potentially eligible for financial assistance. The precise scale of the financial shortfalls in these schemes cannot be known until the winding-up processes are close to completion.

A list of these potentially eligible schemes has been placed in the Library. It is a provisional list which broadly confirms earlier estimates of the scale of the problem, and the number of individuals affected. The detailed eligibility criteria for both schemes and members will be set out in regulations that we expect to publish for wider consultation in the spring. Once finalised these will need parliamentary approval, which we hope to obtain by the end of July.

As solvent employers have a duty to support their schemes and provide the benefits members were expecting, it is right that the FAS focuses on insolvent employers. We expect employers to stand by their pension promise to their employees, and will take a dim view of the solvent employer who seeks to avoid their responsibilities to their employees or the employees of a company for which they have been a parent company. We have consulted widely on how we should define 'employer insolvency' and concluded that for FAS purposes we should have a sufficiently general definition of insolvency to capture schemes where the sponsoring employer no longer exists and also where insolvency may have occurred some time after scheme wind-up had started. This definition will be similar to that used by the PPF but with the additional inclusion of some companies which have undergone members' voluntary liquidations—where a declaration of solvency was made at the time of wind-up but where the company is now no longer solvent and so no employer exists to support the scheme.

We are minded to judge the insolvency position for multi-employer schemes on the principal employer of the scheme.

The list contains those pension schemes on which we received information in the latest data collection exercise and which from the information provided by trustees, appear potentially eligible under the criteria set out above. The list provides an early indication of scheme eligibility for members of the schemes we have been told about. But I need to make clear a number of caveats. First, it will take time to establish the final position, but as wind-up progresses we will become clearer on the size of the gap between assets and liabilities of these schemes. Second, presence on this list does not guarantee individuals will receive support from the FAS. Third, it does not mean trustees should stop their duties of securing the best possible outcome for their scheme members.

After the FAS regulations have come into force, there will be a six-month period during which we shall accept formal notification from the independent trustees of other under-funded pension schemes, which may in due course be added to the list, so absence from this list does not preclude eligibility.

Whilst we have sought industry contributions, it is very disappointing that no financial contribution has been forthcoming. As a result the available funding stands at £400 million over 20 years, which the Government have committed on behalf of the taxpayer.

As we have explained before, in many cases the trustees are not yet able to provide detailed information on the scale of individual losses and in practice this may not be available until they are close to completing the winding-up of each pension scheme.

But those scheme members who have already retired or expect to retire within the next few years need to know where they stand now.

I can therefore announce today that the financial assistance scheme will provide help to those within three years of their scheme pension age on 14 May 2004. The assistance will top up individuals to a level broadly equivalent to 80 per cent. of the core pension rights accrued in their scheme. That means that those within three years of their pension scheme age on 14 May 2004 should expect to get 80 per cent. of their core promised pension. As we previously announced, payments will be subject to a de minimis level and a cap on assistance provided. Further information on these will be provided when the draft regulations are published.

The assistance will be paid as a monthly pension.

FAS payments will be treated by the tax and benefit system in broadly the same way as payments from an occupational pension scheme.

We have already committed ourselves to review the financial assistance scheme after three years.

Government funding is already fixed for the current spending review period up to and including 2007–08. But as with all our spending plans, we will review the funding for the FAS in the next spending review alongside other spending priorities.

A dedicated team of DWP officials, based in York, will administer the scheme and aim to get payments to recipients as soon as possible once the regulations are in place.

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Privy Council Office DEL will be increased by £466,000 from £4,195,000 to £4,661,000 and the gross administration costs limit will be increased by £466,000 from £4,158,000 to £4,624,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is as set out in the following table:

*Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from take up of Privy Council Office's end year flexibility.

The Privy Council Office is also looking to increase spending by £70,000 to offset increases in administrative expenditure. This increase is offset by appropriations in aid.

£'000s

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Department for Constitutional Affairs and Northern Ireland Court Service departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be increased by £74,547,000 from £3,536,540,000 to £3,611,087,000 and the administration costs limit will be increased by £38,001,000 from £1,003,181,000 to £1,041,182,000.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the Department for Constitutional Affairs DEL arises from:

Resource Change: Admin (total increase of £37,001,000)

Voted: total increase of £65,403,000

RfR1

Transfers from Central HM Treasury funds:

(i) £58,000,000 resources in relation to the Libra reserve claim.

Transfers from other Government Departments:

(ii) £446,000 resources from the Cabinet Office in relation to the re-funding for the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.

Transfers to other Government Departments:

(iii) £554,000 resources to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to costs for CPS case progression officers and secondees.

(iv) £122,000 resources to the Department for Work and Pensions being the increase indeduction of benefits for fines.

(v) Reversal of a transfer of £2,745,000 admin resources to DCA HQ and £590,000 admin resources to Court Service from the Home Office in relation to the Single Asylum Fund (SAF).

Transfers between sections within the RfR:

(vi) £7,450,000 admin resources to Capital in relation to the reclassification of Birmingham Priory Courts proceeds for Manchester Civil Justice Centre.

(vii) £10,000,000 admin resources to Capital from DCA HQ to the Court Service in relation to PFI liabilities.

Transfer between voted & non-voted resources:

(viii) £28,402,000 increase to voted admin resources in relation to the take up of departmental unallocated provision.

RfR3

Transfers from other Government Departments:

(ix) £16,000 resources from the Cabinet Office in relation to the re-funding for Office of Parliamentary Counsel.

Resource Change: Programme (total decrease of £12,191,000)

Voted: total decrease of £12,191,000

RfR1

Transfers from other Government Departments:

(i) £8,800,000 resources from Home Office in relation to downstream costs for criminal justice initiatives.

(ii) £1,400,000 resources from Home Office in relation to funding for Liverpoolcommunity justice centre.

(iii) £800,000 resources from Home Office—Criminal Justice Information Technology (CJIT) in relation to funding the development of Libra interface to Exchange Integration Service Stream Release.

(iv) £206,000 resources from Home Office in relation to Criminal Justice Information Technology for Crown Courts.

(v) £52,000 resources from Home Office—Criminal Justice Information, Technology in relation to Virtual Plea and Direction Hearings.

(vi) £35,000 resources from Home Office: Criminal justice information technology in order to fund the application of the Criminal Justice System Exchange project.

(vii) £750,000 resources from Home Office: Criminal Justice Information Technology in relation to the Effective Trial Management Programme.

Transfers to other Government Departments:

(viii) £29,000 resources to the Home Office in relation to costs for Contribution to Group of States against Corruption.

(ix) Reversal of a transfer of £23,918,000 programme resources to DCA HQ from the Home Office in relation to the Single Asylum Fund (SAF).

Transfers between sections within the Estimate:

(x) £287,000 resources from Magistrates Courts Revenue Grant to Magistrates Courts Capital Grant in relation to building and Information Technology costs.

The change in the resource element of the Northern Ireland Court Service DEL arises from:

Resource Change: Admin (total increase of £1,000,000)

Voted: total net increase of £1,000,000.

(i) To take up resource end year flexibility of £1,000,000 in respect of administration expenditure on the development costs associated with the Integrated Court Operations System (ICOS). This is partially offset by the profit arising form the sale of a surplus court building (£470,000) classified as programme.

Resource Change: Programme (total decrease of £470,000)

Voted: total decrease of £470,000

(i) Decrease of £470,000 being the netting of the profit element of the sale of a surplus court building against current programme provision. The change in the capital element of the Department for Constitutional Affairs DEL arises from:

Capital Change (total increase of £48,737,000)

Voted: total increase of £50,937,000

RfR1

Transfers from Central HM Treasury funds:

(i) £31,000,000 capital to the Court Service in relation to a non-cash reserve claim for PFI liabilities.

Transfers between sections within the Estimate:

(i) £287,000 resources from Magistrates Courts Grants to Magistrates Courts Capital Grants in relation Magistrates Courts Capital building and Information Technology costs.

(ii) £7,450,000 admin resources to Capital in relation to the reclassification of Birmingham Priory Courts proceeds for Manchester Civil Justice Centre.

(iii) £10,000,000 admin resources to Capital from DCA HQ to the Court Service in relation to PFI liabilities.

Transfer between voted and non-voted capital:

(iv) £2,200,000 increase to voted capital from supplementary credit approvals in relation to Libra funding.

The change in the capital element of the Northern Ireland Court Service DEL arises from:

Capital Change (total increase of £470,000)

Voted: total increase of £470,000

(i) To take up non-operating appropriations in aid of £1,000,000 arising from the sale of surplus court buildings. These non-operating appropriations in aid will offset additional capital expenditure on major refurbishment and IT projects. In budget terms, the increase in gross expenditure is offset by the net book value of the properties of £530,000.

£'000s

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport DEL will be increased by £12,478,000 from £1,615,781,000 to £1,628,259,000 and the administration costs limits will be increased by £163,000 from £51,254,000 to £51,417,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from a transfer in respect of the PES Pool European Regional Development Fund to the Department for Work and Pensions that has been offset with transfers from non-voted spending in respect of accrued superannuation liability contributions (ASLCs) for the public lending right of £52,000; for the British Library of £2,230,000; for the Football Licensing Authority of £104,000 and for English Heritage of £1,327,000. A reserve claim of £400,000 to cover the costs of the sale of the TOTE.

The increase in the Department's administration costs limit arises from transfers from other Government Departments of £35,000 from ODPM in respect of salary costs for joint working on local public service agreements and £128,000 from Cabinet Office in respect of funding for the Parliamentary Counsel Office.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from increased expenditure offset by increased non operating appropriations in aid of £110,000 in respect of sale of properties at Windsor; £268,000 from the Northern Ireland Office Broadcasting contract; and £10,000 in respect of rents received by the Royal Parks Agency.

£'000s

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's departmental expenditure limits for 2004–05 will change as follows:

(1) The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's main programmes DEL will be increased by £2,348,455,000 from £7,129,829,000 to £9,478,284,000 and the administration costs limit will be reduced by £8,822,000 from £354,805,000 to £345,983,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL, since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

(i) take up of end-year flexibility of £110,412,000 comprising:

Programme Expenditure

(a) £800,000 for Ordnance Survey Trading Fund;

(b) £1,350,000 for Sustainable Communities;

(c) £306,000 from the Invest to Save Budget for Fire Services;

(d) £11,439,000 for Fire Services programme expenditure;

(e) £21,506,000 for Civil Resilience programmes;

(f) £5,000,000 for Regional Policy programme (Regional Chambers);

(g) £14,632,000 for non-voted Housing Corporation;

(h) £5,000,000 for non-voted English Partnerships/ Urban Regeneration Agency;

(i) £25,000,000 for non-voted Commission for New Towns.

Administration Costs

(j) £25,379,000 to cover the work of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

(ii) draw down from the Reserve of £98,752,000 comprising:

Programme Expenditure

(a) £77,000 for Housing programme expenditure;

(b) £420,000 for Building Regulations;

(c) £3,978,000 for Other Growth Areas;

(d) £2,387,000 for Fire Services programme expenditure;

(e) £8,495,000 for Civil Resilience programmes:

(f) £72,851,000 for the Communities Plan;

(g) £8,544,000 for European Regional Development Fund;

(h) £2,000,000 for Regional Policy programme (Regional Assemblies).

(iii) draw down of £19,083,000 in advance from the European Regional Development Fund PES Pool for the European Regional Development Fund;

(iv) draw down of £1,500,000 from the Treasury Efficiency Savings Challenge Fund for Procurement Efficiency and Social Housing;

(v) a net transfer of £2,525,000 to other government departments, comprising:

From other Government Departments:

Programme Expenditure

(a) £50,000 from the Home Office for Building regulations programme;

(b) £100,000 for non-voted Housing Corporation from Department for Transport.

Administration Costs (Central ODPM)

(c) £557,000 from the Cabinet Office to cover the work of Parliamentary Counsel;

(d) £370,000 from Cabinet Office for the transfer of Internal Audit work.

Administration Costs (Government Offices)

(e) £1,798,000 from the Department for Education and Skills. (£1,598,000 for Local Public Service Agreements and £200,000 to cover other work done by Government Offices);

(f) £44,000 from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to cover work on the Voluntary Community Sector;

(g) £700,000 from Department of Trade and Industry for work on UK Trade & Industry.

To other Government Departments:

Programme Expenditure

(h) £700,000 to the Home Office from the New Ventures Fundprogramme;

(i) £1,477,000 to Department for Work and Pensions from the New Deal for Communities programme;

(j) £3,208,000 to Welsh Assembly for Machinery of Government changes (£1,827,000 from Fire Services and £1,381,000 from Civil Resilience);

Administration Costs (Central ODPM)

(k) £221,000 to Department for Education and Skills for Local Public Service Agreements;

(l) £174,000 to Department of Health for Local Public Service Agreements;

(m) £65,000 to the Home Office for Local Public Service Agreements;

(n) £65,000 to the Department for Work and Pensions for Local Public Service Agreements;

(o) £60,000 to the Department for Transport for Local Public Service Agreements;

(p) £60,000 to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs for Local Public Service Agreements;

(q) £35,000 to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for Local Public Service Agreements;

(r) £79,000 to the Department for Transport for the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.

(vi) an increase in receipts of £120,709,000 offsetting increases in provision of £24,000,000 for Housing, £200,000 for Ordnance Survey, £4,000 for Planning, £3,015,000 for the Planning Inspectorate Executive Agency; £1,890,000 for Fire Services, £580,000 for Civil Resilience, £64,139,000 for European Regional Development Fund; £16,881,000 for administration costs, and £10,000,000 for non voted English Partnerships;

(vii) an increase in receipts of £10,000,000 for non-voted English Partnerships;

(viii) a transfer of £1,573,000,000 from Annually Managed Expenditure to Departmental Expenditure Limits for the Supporting People programme;

(ix) a transfer of £253,000 from resource consumption to capital for Research;

(x) a transfer of £396,678,000 from resource investment to capital comprising £134,947,000 for the Communities Plan; £62,958,000 towards the capital costs of acquiring surplus NHS land, £1,960,000 for Civil Resilience; £3,452,000 for Planning; £750,000 for non voted Housing Corporation; £368,000 within non-voted Other Growth Areas; £186,386,000 within the Sustainable Communities programme; £5,525,000 for voted Other Housing and Homelessness from non-voted Housing Corporation (of which £3,668,000 for Regional Housing Pots and £1,857,000 increase in provision) and £332,000 to voted Growth Areas from non-voted Other Growth Areas;

(xi) a transfer of £230,118,000 from capital to resource investment comprising £5,200,000 to fund New Dimension Search & Rescue training rigs, £15,499,000 within non-voted section for Housing Corporation, £182,000,000 for Large Scale Voluntary Transfers from non-voted Arms Length Management Organisations to voted Housing and Homelessness and £27,419,000 for European Regional Development Fund;

(xii) a net transfer of £11,684,000 from voted to non-voted provision comprising:

(a) a transfer of £16,785,000, to voted Housing programmes from non-voted comprising £14,000,000 for Housing Action Trusts, £1,030,000 for Black & Ethnic Minority Registered Social Landlords, £755,000 for Homelessness and £1,000,000 for Starter Homes Initiatives;

(b) a transfer of £12,863,000 to other voted sections from non-voted Housing Corporation;

(c) a transfer of £2,835,000 to voted Sustainable Communities from non-voted Housing Corporation;

(d) a transfer of £2,500,000 to voted Growth Areas from non-voted Other Growth Areas;

(e) a transfer of £144,000 to voted Sustainable Communities from non-voted South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA);

(f) a transfer of £9,893,000 from non-voted resource investment to voted resource investment comprising £9,093,000 for European Regional Development Fund and £800,000 for Supporting People;

(g) a transfer of £800,000 from voted Housing to non-voted for Housing Corporation;

(h) a transfer of £8,023,000 from other voted sections to non-voted Housing Corporation;

(i) a transfer of £30,000,000 from Planning to non-voted English Partnerships;

(j) a transfer of £745,000 from voted Growth Areas to non-voted Other Growth Areas;

(k) a transfer of £5,800,000 from voted Sustainable Communities to non-voted South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA);

(l) a transfer of £500,000 from voted Sustainable Communities to non-voted Thames Gateway (Thurrock);

(m) a transfer of £10,000,000 from voted Thames Gateway to non-voted Thames Gateway Housing Corporation;

(n) a transfer of £800,000 from voted Black and Ethnic Minority Registered Social Landlords to non-voted Housing Corporation.

(xiii) As a result of the changes to Request for Resources 1, The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's administration provision will be reduced by £8,531,000 from £357,932,000 to £349,401,000 after taking account of the transfer of £36,912,000 from administration DEL to programme DEL in respect of the reclassification of the Planning Inspectorate's expenditure.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

(xiv) take up of end-year flexibility of £42,066,000 comprising:

Programme Expenditure

(a) £6,045,000 draw down of Capital Modernisation Fund (£2,325,000 for Pilot Lettings, £3,720,000 for New Dimension;

(b) £5,000,000 for the Coalfields Enterprise Fund;

(c) £2,274,000 for the New Ventures Fund;

(d) £1,400,000 for Smoke Alarms;

(e) £15,305,000 for European Regional Development Fund;

(f) £12,042,000 for non-voted English Partnerships in respect of the costs of acquiring surplus National Health Service land.

(xv) draw down of £17,126,000 in advance from the European Regional Development Fund PES Pool for the European Regional Development Fund;

(xvi) an increase in receipts of £19,054,000. offsetting increases in provision of £3,600,000 for Housing programme, £5,012,000 for European Development Fund and £10,442,000 for non-voted housing Corporation;

(xvii) a transfer of £3,259,000 to other government departments, comprising £1,045,000 to Department for Transport to cover ODPM's share of the costs of joint capital projects; £5,214,000 to Welsh Assembly in respect of Machinery of Government Changes (of which £1,513,000 is from voted Civil Resilience and £3,701,000 from non-voted section) and £3,000,000 from the Home Office for non-voted Housing Corporation;

(xviii) a transfer of £253,000 from resource consumption to capital for Research;

(xix) a transfer of £396,678,000 from Resource Investment to Capital comprising of £134,947,000 for the Communities Plan; £62,958,000 towards the capital costs of acquiring surplus NHS land, £1,960,000 for Civil Resilience; £3,452,000 for Planning; £750,000 for non-voted Housing Corporation; £368,000 for non-voted Other Growth Areas; £186,386,000 within the Sustainable Communities programme; £5,525,000 for voted Other Housing and Homelessness from non-voted Housing Corporation (of which £3,668,000 for Regional Housing Pots and £1,857,000 increase in provision) and £332,000 to voted Growth Areas from non-voted Other Growth Areas;

(xx) a transfer of £230,118,000 from capital to resource investment comprising £5,200,000 to fund New Dimension Search & Rescue training rigs, £15,499,000 within non-voted section for Housing Corporation, £182,000,000 for Large Scale Voluntary Transfers from non-voted Arms Length Management Organisations to voted Housing and Homelessness and £27,419,000 for European Regional Development Fund;

(xxi) an increase in provision of £223,500,000 for the non-voted Supported Capital Expenditure Programme;

(xxii) an increase in provision of £278,800,000 as a result of classification changes for non-voted English Partnerships;

(xxiii) Within the capital element of the DEL there is a net transfer of £52,823,000 from voted to non-voted provision comprising:

(a) £13,442,000 from non-voted Housing Corporation to voted Planning;

(b) £3,796,000 from non-voted English Partnerships to voted Sustainable Communities programme;

(c) £45,061,000 from voted Sustainable Communities programme to non-voted South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA) (£41,061,000) and non-voted East of England Development Agency (EEDA) (£4,000,000);

(d) £25,000,000 from voted Thames Gateway to non-voted English Partnerships.

(2) The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Local Government DEL will be increased by £21,480,000 from £43,767,155,000 to £43,788,635,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

(i) take up of end-year flexibility of £21,300,000 for Private Finance Initiatives;

(ii) a transfer of £180,000 from Department of Health to support a local government franchising pilot;

(iii) a transfer of £98,000,000 from voted Capacity Building programme to non-voted Standards Board.

£'000s

£'000s

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the ministry of Defence departmental expenditure limits will be increased by £1,099,372,000 from £30,344,938,000 to £31,444,310,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are set out in the following table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of Resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

transfers totalling £383,000 from the Northern Ireland Office (£101,000) and from the Northern Ireland Departments (£282,000) as their share of the National Meteorological Programme and Weather Warning Service costs under a pan Government agreement;

a transfer in from the Cabinet Office of £102,000 in respect of future funding arrangements with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel;

a transfer out from the MOD to the Department for Constitutional Affairs of £62,000 in respect of legal services provided to the MOD;

an increase in Resource Appropriations in Aid of £185,000 from receipt of a special dividend from the Hydrographic Office;

an increase in Resource Appropriations in Aid of £4,600,000 relating to revenue associated with government training provided under the Indian Air Force BAE Hawk contract;

an increase in Resource Appropriations in Aid of £1,445,000 relating to revenue received from the Learning Skills Council;

an increase in RfR 2 Resource of £805,426,000 to reflect the costs of peace-keeping in Iraq and Afghanistan;

a transfer in of £88,978,000 Resource from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the MOD in respect of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool for Balkans programme costs;

a transfer in of £2,200,000 Resource from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the MOD in respect of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool for Rest of the World programme costs;

a transfer in of £2,920,000 Resource from the Department for International Development to the MOD in respect of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool for Sub Saharan Africa programme costs;

an increase in Resource (Non-Budget) Grants in Aid of £241,000 to the National Army Museum for refurbishment costs.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

the take up of remaining end year flexibility from 2003–04 of £6,000,000 Capital to cover capital spending;

a transfer out from the MOD to the Home Office of £5,500,000 as reimbursement for an advance made by the Home Office for the former RAF Newton in 2003–04, the site no longer being required by the Home Office;

an increase in Capital Appropriations in Aid of £54,301,000 arising from the early redemption of preference shares held by the MOD in QinetiQ;

an increase in RfR 2 Capital DEL of £222,129,000 to reflect the costs of peace-keeping in Iraq and Afghanistan;

a transfer in of £1,022,000 Capital DEL from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the MOD in respect of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool for Balkans programme costs.

The changes to CDEL and RDEL will lead to an increased net cash requirement of £1,109,613,000.

£'000s

The fourteenth report of the School Teachers' Review Body is being published today. It covers a range of matters referred to the review body in July 2004. Copies are available in the Vote Office and in the Library of the House of Lords and at www.teachernet.gov.uk

In making its recommendations, the review body was required to have regard to the matters set out in the remit letter of 22 July 2004. The fourteenth STRB report deals with some very important and technical issues affecting teachers' pay and I am most grateful to it for the careful and detailed attention it has given to these complex matters. The STRB recommendations are set out below (in italics) followed in each case by my response.

I am seeking consultation comments on the report and my response by 18 March 2005.

Payments for additional responsibilities for teaching and learning

The STRB has recommended the following:

We recommend that the following criterion and factors for awarding teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments be adopted:

The criterion is as follows:

A teaching and learning responsibility payment may only be made to a teacher who is accountable for a significant, specified responsibility focused on teaching and learning, that is not required of all classroom teachers, clearly defined in the job description of the teaching and learning responsibility payment holder, and requiring teachers' professional skills and judgement. The TLR payment should be for a sustained responsibility in the context of the school's staffing structure needed to ensure continued delivery of high-quality teaching and learning.

The factors are as follows:

Impact on educational progress beyond the teacher's assigned pupils;

Leading, developing and enhancing the teaching practice of others;

Having accountability for leading, managing and developing a subject or curriculum area or pupil development across the curriculum; and (for the upper value TLR)

Having line management responsibility for a significant number of people.

We recommend that there should be guidance on the review of staffing structures and implementation and that it should include advice to assist schools/LEAs in deciding: how to address their head of year and "pastoral" responsibilities in the new system; what type of TLR should be payable for specific line management posts; and the application of TLRs to unattached teachers.

We recommend that:

From 1 September 2005, the value of TLR2 be a minimum of £2,250 with a maximum of £5,500, and the value of TLR1 be a minimum of £6,500 with a maximum of £11,000;

Teachers be paid a spot rate on the appropriate TLR range for specific posts as decided and published by the school in its pay policy;

Differentials between payments within each range within specific schools should be significant—a minimum of £1,500; and

The guidance on the review of staffing structures and implementation contains advice to support schools in deciding what level of spot rate payment to award TLR posts.

We recommend that the circumstances in which the payment of TLRs should cease, should be as follows:

Payments should not be portable from one school to another;

Payments should be withdrawn where a teacher declined to perform the responsibilities attached to the payment; or lost the responsibilities as a result of poor performance (as a result of capability procedures); and

Payments could also be withdrawn when responsibilities were restructured, subject to transitional/safeguarding arrangements applied nationally.

We recommend that all the main parties be included, without pre-conditions, in formulating guidance for schools on the review of staffing structures and implementation.

Subject to the timely provision of guidance and budget information to schools, we recommend specifically that:

schools be required to review their staffing structure in consultation with staff and their representatives, and to publish their revised structure, with a timetable for implementation (as an annex to the pay policy of the school), by 31 December 2005;

TLR payments be available to be awarded from 1 September 2005 and new awards of management allowances cease from 31 December 2005;

The transition period for each school starts from the date of publication of its staffing structure, lasts for three years and ends by 31 December 2008; and

Teachers who would otherwise incur a reduction in salary as a result of the implementation of changes in responsibilities in the revised staffing structure of the school, have their salary cash safeguarded for the duration of the three year period of transition, the safeguarding to cease in the following circumstances.

The teacher accepts a new level of payment;

The teacher moves post;

The teacher's salary (through annual increment, movement to a higher salary scale or receipt of a higher level of TLR payment) excluding the management allowance, is higher than the total of his/her current salary including the management allowance; or

The teacher unreasonably refuses to undertake responsibilities required of a new post offered to him/her.

Our recommendations should be applied to Wales in accordance with constitutional responsibilities.

I welcome these recommendations. I believe that they represent a genuinely constructive opportunity for schools to organise their teaching and learning responsibilities in a new way, focusing on the professionalism of teachers and enabling reward to be given for significant tasks which have an impact on the educational progress of pupils and the professional practice of other teachers. I am particularly glad to recognise the flexibilities, within an overall framework, recommended within the new teaching and learning responsibility payments system, and the emphasis on openness through the pay policy, which would give schools the freedom to establish the arrangements which suit their own needs, while openly justifying their decisions.

However, I am anxious that all schools should have sufficient time to prepare and consider what staffing structure is most appropriate for them before implementation of these pay changes. To promote clarity and consistency I propose that all schools' transition periods should begin on 1 January 2006, at which point TLR payments should be available and management allowances would cease to be awarded.

I also welcome the focus on restructuring, which will be key to enabling the transition from the existing management allowance system to be managed. Action on school restructuring in Wales will, of course, be for the Welsh Assembly to determine.

I agree that guidance to schools on restructuring, transition and the new TLR payments system will be very important. However, I believe that the guidance should not be restrictive or suggest different levels of TLR payment for different tasks or responsibilities. I believe that the detailed criteria and factors for the payment of TLRs should be the focus for schools' (and in the case of unattached teachers, LEAs') decisions, and that this should be sufficient to enable them to take appropriate decisions within the context of their own individual published structures. All parties will, as usual, be consulted on the development of statutory guidance.

I agree that the arrangements for the award of TLRs also require provisions for their future cessation and the recommendations of the STRB are sensible and helpful.

I welcome the proposed arrangements for transition from management allowances to TLRs, and the proposed provisions giving protections for teachers who would otherwise incur a reduction in salary, which are fair and reasonable.

Safeguarding arrangements for pay

We recommend that:

The framework for the operation of safeguarding that we describe below be adopted to apply to both current and future safeguarding arrangements:

Framework for the operation of safeguarding

A. Overarching principles

a. Teachers at all levels are protected from sudden drops in total salary which would otherwise occur through no fault of their own.

b. Safeguarding principles will be applied on a mandatory basis.

c. Safeguarding will operate on a fixed-period basis and the period will be three years (subject to the provisions in C below).

d. Safeguarding will be on a cash basis; and

e. The teacher must know at the start of the safeguarding period what safeguarding arrangements are applicable to any particular salary element and this must be set out in the teacher's salary statement at the start of the period.

B. Cases where safeguarding will operate

Subject to the basic principles in A above and the provisions in C below, safeguarding will apply in circumstances where:

a. The item concerned has been removed from the pay system;

b. The item concerned has been replaced, directly or indirectly, by another form or forms of payment which the teacher concerned is not receiving;

c. An individual school range has been reduced;

d. An LEA reorganisation, school closure, or redefinition of boundaries, means that a teacher continuing to work in the school or LEA as applicable would otherwise receive a reduced rate of pay; or

e. Internal school reorganisations take place.

C. Cases where safeguarding will not apply, or will cease to apply

Safeguarding will not apply, or will cease to apply, where any of the following circumstances occur:

a. The teacher moves school voluntarily;

b. The teacher chooses to apply, and applies successfully for another post within the school and accepts the terms and conditions of that post;

c. The teacher unreasonably refuses to carry out duties commensurate with the salary being received;

d. The teacher's total salary overtakes his safeguarded salary during the safeguarded period (excluding the effect of annual pay uplifts); or

e. The set period of time has elapsed (three years).

We also recommend:

That the framework be the vehicle within which the Secretary of State should deal with the safeguarding consequentials of future changes to the pay system; and

That the three-year time-limiting for safeguarding of current arrangements be applied to operate concurrently with the three-year period for the transitional arrangements to introduce revised school structures.

The issue of safeguarding has been flagged up by the STRB on successive occasions in the past, and it has previously requested evidence on it. I very much welcome the careful and detailed consideration which the STRB has now been able to give to this matter, in the light of evidence received. The proposed safeguarding provisions set out are reasonable and balanced and I support them.

I recognise the difficulties and sensitivities which exist in the context of bringing change to this area of the teachers' pay system, and the framework proposed will enable existing and future safeguarding to be handled on a fair, uniform and predictable basis. Moreover, the framework as proposed will ensure that teachers are protected from sudden drops in total salary which would otherwise occur through no fault of their own, for a suitable period. I also welcome the recommendation of the STRB that these detailed matters are handled in future using my subsidiary powers, within the context of the framework established, which seems to be entirely appropriate.

Pay arrangements for secondary mathematics and science advanced skills teachers

We recommend that:

In line with its policy of expanding the AST grade, the department looks at ways of getting more mathematics and science teachers with AST accreditation, but not in an AST post, into such posts, including, where appropriate, the creation of additional AST posts in these subjects;

This message be reinforced in the guidance to schools, primary and secondary, on the review of their structures which will take place as part of the transition to the new TLR system; and

Schools be encouraged to make greater use of the flexibilities they already have to set AST pay for these two subjects;

Paragraph 27.3 of the STPCD be amended so that the factors to which the relevant body has to have regard in setting the range for an AST's pay expressly include his or her being a teacher of a shortage subject or a subject where there is a particular need to raise the quality of teaching and learning.

The remit to the STRB invited it to consider the salary levels of secondary mathematics and science advanced skills teachers. The evidence backed this up by proposing that the cap on the pay of these teachers be removed, and to set a minimum level of salary of £40,000. This was proposed as part of the Government's approach to overcoming the national under-achievements in these two subjects and their impact on the economy, as identified in the reports of Professor Adrian Smith and Sir Gareth Roberts.

The STRB has reflected carefully on this but has concluded that at present it will not make recommendations along the lines proposed. It has indicated that this could be considered further in a future remit, in the wider context of teachers' remuneration as a whole. I continue to see benefits in making changes to the pay arrangements for these teachers in these important subject areas. I therefore am content to return to this matter in my next remit.

It has also made some specific pay-related proposals which I propose to accept. I will reflect further on the STRB's proposals relating to getting more mathematics and science teachers with an AST accreditation, but not currently in an AST post, into such posts.

Excellent Teacher Scheme

We recommend that the scheme should be introduced from September 2006, distinct from the main and upper pay scales. The scheme should be post-based and should be for exemplary classroom teachers with an established record of sustained high-quality teaching and of supporting colleagues within the school. Like ASTs they should be unable to hold TLRs, but unlike ASTs they should have no outreach function. They should

Continue to maintain high standards;

Demonstrate a commitment to develop themselves professionally;

Provide an exemplary role model for staff through their professional expertise; and

Have a distinctive role in achieving improvements in teaching across the school.

In addition to their normal classroom duties the specific expectations of an Excellent Teacher should be:

Induction of newly qualified teachers;

Professional mentoring of other teachers;

Sharing good practice through demonstration lessons;

Helping teachers to develop their expertise in planning, preparation and assessment;

Helping other teachers to evaluate the impact of their teaching on pupils;

Undertaking classroom observations to assist and support the performance management process; and

Helping teachers improve their teaching practice including those on capability procedures.

However, we also recommend the following;

The expectations of the role set out above should reflect more strongly an emphasis on general pedagogic experience and on coaching and mentoring, and reduce the apparent overlap with the AST grade and with TLR payments;

That teachers should be able to seek accreditation regardless of whether or not an ETS post is envisaged for their school and that the title of Excellent Teacher (though not the associated salary) should be granted once accreditation has been achieved; and

Serious consideration should be given to a separate name for the post associated with the scheme, and to our suggestion of "Principal Teacher".

We recommend that the criteria for accessing the scheme should be as follows:

The scheme should be based on written application. To qualify, the teacher should have to have been paid on U3 for at least two years, be willing to meet the expectations of an Excellent Teacher, and have their application endorsed by their head teacher. They would also need to provide evidence of work during their period on the upper pay scale that had addressed the identified needs of a particular group or groups of pupils; and successfully pass a procedure of external assessment against national standards;

A separate national (England and Wales) standard should be developed for the scheme, building on a common core of excellence with the AST standard, to take account of the distinctive profile and features of the scheme; subject to discussion with the Welsh Assembly Government, this standard might be based on the three themes of new professionalism in teaching 1 and the requirements of an Excellent Teacher should reflect more closely the three themes of new professionalism in teaching, again subject to discussion with the welsh assembly government;

The admission criteria for the scheme should include demonstration of a sustained record of continuing professional development throughout the teacher's career;

The arrangements should be clarified for movement between the scheme, ASTs and the leadership group; and

The scheme be open to any teacher who meets the criteria and has their head teacher's support, not just those in schools which have or envisage a post under the scheme.

The salary for the scheme should be a spot salary. We recommend the following baseline rates for the scheme, as at 1 September 2005: £35,000 in England and Wales, £35,988 in the fringe, £37,832 in outer London, and £41,745 in inner London. We do not think it appropriate at this stage to set a salary for September 2006.

We recommend that the basic structure of this reformed career system remain in its present form for the medium term.

We recommend a targeted communications exercise to ensure teachers are aware of the reformed career structure and the implications for them.

We recommend that the department monitors actively the bedding down of the ETS and how the ETS and AST schemes are used so the review body can revisit it in three years after the scheme's introduction.

I welcome the proposed creation of the post-based Excellent Teacher scheme, and believe that the arrangements set out give a firm basis for progress in its introduction. There are, however, some specific matters which require further consideration and on which I would invite particular comment.

I note the recommendation that the expectations of the role should be revised and I am happy to consider this further in the light of consultation responses and further discussions. The same applies to the proposal to develop a separate ETS standard taking account of new professionalism. It is certainly our intention to see the ETS—as well as standards for other teachers—in this light.

I believe that the proposal to enable widespread assessment for ETS, regardless of whether a post is available, should be a matter for further consideration and discussion, taking account of the necessity for effective implementation of the scheme. I do, however, have greater concerns about the STRB's concept of naming a teacher as an Excellent Teacher if they have passed assessment, if they are not in a post, while giving a new and separate name to those in post, and suspect that this may cause undue confusion. I would welcome views on this.

I note the initial salary outlines recommended, which provide a very helpful steer for the future. I shall refer this matter to the STRB in my next remit, in the context of a request for general consideration of salaries from September 2006.

Local approaches to pay and other matters

On localised approaches to pay we see no difficulty in postponing further consideration of this issue.

I accept this and, as indicated in evidence, will return to the matter in the context of my next remit.

We recommend that the National Employers' Organisation publishes the result of the LEA survey on unattached teachers and any additional steps to be taken to deal with the concerns about unattached teachers by the end of March 2005 so that we can consider progress and make any further recommendations we consider appropriate.

This is a helpful steer, which I shall ask NEOST to consider. I shall also seek to ensure that the framework and guidance on the implementation of the pay changes recommended here take as full account as possible of the position of unattached teachers.

We recommend that all the main parties be included in the process (on linking teaching and learning reviews to continuing professional development and career progression) as outlined in the remit letter of 22 July 2004.

I remain committed to the process with partners referred to in the 22 July remit. All parties will have the opportunity to respond to statutory consultation.

Next steps

I am now initiating consultation on these recommendations and my proposed response with the employers' organisation, the teacher unions and other interested parties.

Concurrently with this, I am consulting, as required under Section 126 of the Education Act 2002, on a pay order for introduction on 1 April 2005, the main purpose of which is to reform the safeguarded position of the small number of teachers on former points 4 and 5 of the upper pay scale, in line with the safeguarding principles set out above.

1 "New Professionalism" as set out in the department's five year strategy, sets out the proposal that career progression and financial rewards should be for those who are:

making the biggest contributions to improving pupil attainment;

continually developing their own expertise; and

helping to develop expertise in other teachers.

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Department for Education and Skills departmental expenditure limit (DEL), (including the Office for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools (Ofsted) which has a separate estimate) will be increased by £458,501,000 from £28,162,769,000 to £28,621,270,000 and the administration costs limits will be increased by £16,424,000 from £272,362,000 to £288,786,000 to fund the departmental restructuring programme.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is as set out in the following table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL, in the table above, since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

Within the administration cost limits changes, the impact is set out in the following table:

Resource DEL

The change in the resource element of the DEL of £423,701,000 arises from a £101,530,000 increase in the voted element of the resource DEL and an increase of £322,171,000 in the non-voted element of the resource DEL mainly to the department's non-departmental public bodies.

Voted Resource DEL

The £101,530,000 increase in the voted element of the resource DEL arises from a £171,074,000 increase in RfR2 from the take up of £168,208,000 end year flexibility; transfer from RfR1 £6,122,000 for Sure Start local authority programmes and the correction of a National College of Schools Leadership winter supplementary transfer; the transfer to RfR1 £3,256,000 for the School Standards Foundation Plan, children's services and childcare for disabled children.

A £44,097,000 increase in RfR3 from the take-up of £48,235,000 end-year flexibility and the transfer to RfR1 £4,138,000 for children's services.

A £113,641,000 decrease in RfR1; the increase in administration costs £16,424,000; from the movement of £295,356,000 to non-voted resource DEL; the take up of £145,519,000 end year flexibility; the draw down £5,942,000 from non-voted departmental unallocated provision; the net transfer from the Department of Health of £1,033,000 for care standards tribunals, a contribution to the National Service Framework Conference, a contribution to the Bichard Implementation Project and for Children's Trusts; the transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions of £600,000 for administering young peoples bridging allowance; the transfer to the Department of Trade and Industry £75,000 for school teachers' pay and conditions; the transfer from the Home Office £400,000 for the Adult Learning Inspectorate review of prison education; the transfer from the Welsh Assembly £500,000 for student support; the transfer from the Department of Transport £3,300,000 for activities licensing; transfer to RfR2 £6,122,000 for Sure Start local authority programmes and correction of a National College of Schools Leadership winter supplementary transfer; the transfer from RfR2 £3,256,000 for the School Standards Foundation Plan, children's services and childcare for disabled children; transfer from RfR3 £4,138,000 for children's services; reclassification of £8,000,000 support for children and family capital to capital grants within resource.

Administration Cost Limits

The £16,424,000 increase in the administration cost limit arises from the take up of £17,274,000 end year flexibility to fund the departmental restructuring programme; transfer from the Department of Health £418,000 for children's services and protection of vulnerable adults; the transfer from the Cabinet Office £309,000 for the funding of the Parliamentary Council Office; the net transfer out to the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister £1,577,000 for Government Office Accommodation and Regional Co-ordination Unit costs and local public service agreements.

Non-voted Resource DEL

The £322,171,000 increase in non-voted resource DEL arises from the movement of £295,356,000 from voted resource DEL; the take up of £12,467,000 end year flexibility; the movement of £5,942,000 from departmental unallocated provision to voted support for children and families; the transfer from the Department for Work and Pensions £5,750,000 for Adult Learning Inspectorate, inspections of Jobcentre Plus; the transfer to the Department of Health £2,845,000 for teachers' pension costs and clinical scientists; the net reclassification of capital to capital grants within resource of £17,385,000 from school credit approvals to support for scientific research and innovation.

Capital DEL

The change in the capital element of the DEL of £34,800,000 arises from a £276,874,000 increase in the voted element of capital DEL and a decrease of £242,074,000 in the non-voted element of the capital DEL.

Voted Capital DEL

The £276,874,000 increase to the voted element of capital DEL arises from a £253,689,000 increase in RfRl; from the movement of £247,689,000 from non-voted capital DEL; the take up of £10,000,000 end year flexibility; the reclassification of capital to capital grants within resource of £4,000,000 to support teachers' television from other capital programmes.

A £23,185,000 increase in RfR2 from the take up of end year flexibility.

Non-voted capital DEL

The £242,074,000 decrease to the non-voted element of capital DEL arises from the movement of £247,689,000 from non-voted to voted capital DEL; the take up of £27,000,000 end year flexibility; the net reclassification of £17,385,000 from schools credit approvals to support for scientific research and innovation; £4,000,000 from schools credit approvals to support teachers' television capital to voted capital DEL.

Subject to the necessary supplementary estimate, the Department of Health's element of the departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be increased by £14,855,000 from £72,298,859,000 to £72,313,714,000 and the administration cost limit will be increased by £23,218,000 from £257,970,000 to £281,188,000. The Food Standards Agency DEL remains unchanged at £152,478,000. The overall DEL including the Food Standards Agency will increase by £14,855,000 from £72,451,337,000 to £72,466,192,000. The impact on resource and capital are set out in the following table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since the capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the DEL arises from net transfers from the Department for Education and Skills of £1,394,000 (£-418,000 administration costs) for pension costs, clinical scientists, conferences and the care standards tribunal, offset by funding for children's trusts, children's service teams, costs of the vulnerable adults scheme and a contribution towards the funding of the recommendations of the Bichard Inquiry. A transfer from the Home Office of £14,691,000 for the pooled drug treatment budget and funding for prison healthcare. A transfer from DHSS Northern Ireland of £523,000 (£10,000 administration costs) for out of area treatments and a contribution to the national screening committee. A transfer to the National Assembly for Wales of £2,229,000 mainly for cross border flows and high security psychiatric services. A transfer from the Cabinet Office of £546,000 (administration costs) for funding services provided by the Parliamentary Counsel. A net transfer to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of £6,000 (£80,000 increase in administration costs) for a contribution towards long term social services support through partnership arrangements, offset by funding local public service agreements. A transfer to the Department of Trade and Industry of £64,000 for review body pay awards.

The administration cost limit has increased by £23,218,000 from £257,970,000 to £281,188,000 mainly for change management costs and transfers detailed above. There are no changes to the Food Standards Agency's departmental expenditure limit and administration cost limit.

£'000s

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department for International Development departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be increased by £163,106,000 from £3,758,690,000 to £3,921,796,000 and the administration costs limit will be increased by £10,024,000 from £222,000,000 to £232,024,000, Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of the resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL, since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

Voted

A partial draw down of £10,000,000 of administration costs end year flexibility, as set out in the Public Expenditure 2003–04 Provisional Outturn White Paper (Cm 6293), for the administration of development programmes, humanitarian assistance, systems to improve efficiency, and the administration costs of the new Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit.

A full draw down of £153,092,000 of other resource end year flexibility, as set out in the Public Expenditure 2003–04 Provisional Outturn White Paper (Cm 6293), for development programmes in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia and for programmes contributing to multiple objectives, and for the programme costs of the new Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit.

A claim on the reserve of £25,000,000 in respect of humanitarian assistance following the earthquake and tsunami in south-east Asia.

A transfer of £500,000 from the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs for development projects in Russia and the Ukraine.

A transfer of £24,000 of administration costs from the Cabinet Office relating to DfID's use of the Parliamentary Counsel's Office.

A transfer of £6,500,000 from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for planned programme activity on global conflict prevention.

A reduction of £1,038,000 in respect of a transfer to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for planned programme activity on conflict prevention in Africa.

A reduction of £16,000,000 relating to a transfer to the capital DEL of subscription costs for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

A reduction of £35,000,000 relating to the reclassification of the costs of DfID's investment in CDC Group plc from the DEL to annually managed expenditure.

Non-voted

A reduction of £7,000,000 relating to transfers of Africa conflict prevention unallocated provision to the Ministry of Defence (£2,920,000) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (£4,080,000).

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

Voted

A draw down of £6,528,000 of capital end-year flexibility, including £6,064,000 vired from other resource, as set out in the Public Expenditure 2003–04 Provisional Outturn White Paper (Cm 6293) for investment in improvements to management information and financial systems, acquisition of equity in Actis Capital llp, and the initial capital costs of the new Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit.

An increase of £16,000,000 relating to a transfer from the resource DEL of subscription costs for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The change in the adjustment for depreciation arises from forecasts being lower, by £4,500,000, than the total included in the Main Estimate.

£'000s

Subject to parliamentary approval the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) will be taking a 2004–05 spring Supplementary Estimate. The effect this will have is to increase the NIO's DEL by £47,954,000 from £1,236,190,000 to £1,284,144,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resource and capital is as set out in the following table:

The change in the resource element of the DEL by £48,054,000 arises from the draw down of £50,281,000 end-year flexibility and the surrender of PES transfers to other departments of £2,227,000.

The extra resource is primarily required to fund a non-budget pressure relating to the PSNI FTR severance provision.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from the surrender of PES transfers to other departments of £100,000.

The 27th report of the Review Body on Senior Salaries, which makes recommendations about the pay of the Senior Civil Service, senior military personnel and the judiciary, is being published today. Copies are available in the Vote Office and the Libraries of the House. The Government are grateful to the chairman and members of the review body for their work.

The main recommendations of the review body for the Senior Civil Service are:

An uplift from 1 April 2005 of 2.5 per cent to the pay range minima and target rates for each of the Senior Civil Service pay bands below Permanent Secretary and a 3 per cent uplift to the pay range ceilings;

Individual base pay awards to range from 0 to 9 per cent depending on contribution with an average award of 4.2 per cent;

The bonus pot to increase by 1 per cent to 5 per cent of pay bill and that the minimum non-consolidated bonus payment to remain at £2,500;

The Permanent Secretaries' new range is to be £130,350 to £264,250;

Further information should be collected on the reasons why senior civil servants leave the service.

The main recommendation of the review body for the senior military is:

An increase from 1 April 2005 of 2.5 per cent in the incremental pay scales for senior military officers.

The main recommendation of the review body for the judiciary is:

An increase from 1 April 2005 of 3 per cent in judicial salaries.

The Government accept these recommendations. Their cost will be met within existing departmental expenditure limits.

Pay increases for Members of Parliament and Ministers are linked automatically to the movement of the mid point of the pay bands for the Senior Civil Service. Their salaries will therefore increase by 2.8 per cent from 1 April 2005.

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Security and Intelligence Agencies' departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be increased by £72,799,000 from £1,333,590,000 to £1,406,389,000 and the administration costs limits will be increased by £23,713,000 from £603,517,000 to £627,230,000. This includes available Departmental Unallocated Provision, which was not included in the written statement for the Winter Supplementary Estimate. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

the take up of end of year flexibility of £51,393,000;

a transfer of £4,199,000 from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for conflict prevention;

a transfer of £45,000 from the Cabinet Office for funding the resource element of a Capital Modernisation project;

a transfer of £3,000 from the Northern Ireland Office to contribute towards administrative funding;

a transfer of £185,000 to the Home Office for collaborative research programmes;

a switch from capital to resource of £8,527,000.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

the take up of end of year flexibility of £15,344,000;

a transfer of £2,000,000 from the Cabinet Office for the funding of a Capital Modernisation project;

a switch from capital to resource of £8,527,000.

£'000s

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the Scotland Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be increased by £417,028,000 from £22,004,521,000 to £22,421,549,000.

The DEL increase takes account of the following:

a classification change in respect of the transfer of Supporting People from Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) to DEL of £418,000,000; and

the DEL increase also includes the following transfers between the Scottish Executive and other Government departments, amounting to a net decrease of £972,000. These are:

net transfers of £766,000 to the Home Office (Security Enhancements, a scoping study for the Security Industry and Queen's Golden Jubilee Awards);

net transfers of £383,000 to the Department for Work and Pensions (Fair for All initiative & Family Resources Survey);

a transfer of £14,000 to the National Assembly for Wales (out of Area Treatments); and

a transfer of £191,000 from the Northern Ireland Assembly (out of Area Treatments).

The DEL increases will be offset by interdepartmental transfers as detailed above or charged to the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

My right hon. Friend the Attorney-General has made the following Ministerial Statement:

"Further to my Statement of 4 February 2005 (Official Report, col. WS 21–22), two additional individuals have now been told of the charges they face. They are Private Monet Vosloo of the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, and former member of the same regiment, Scott Jackson, who is now a civilian. The charges relate to an incident which allegedly took place on 11 May 2003 in Al U'Zayra in southern Iraq."

Expenditure Limits

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department of Trade and Industry's DEL will be increased by £204,689,000 from £5,493,803,000 to £5,698,492,000 and the administration costs limit will be reduced by £39,392,000 from £436,805,000 to £397,413,000.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is as set out in the following table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

RfR1

(i) utilisation of £19,354,000 from the unused balance of the department's end-year flexibility entitlement in respect of impairment of venture capital funds;

(ii) utilisation of £3,000,000 from the unused balance of the department's end-year flexibility entitlement in respect of nuclear support to the former Soviet Union;

(iii) a transfer of £45,000 from the Department of Health in respect of the Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body;

(iv) a transfer of £19,000 from the Department of Health in respect of the Nurses and Other Health Professions Pay Review Body;

(v) a transfer of £75,000 from the Department for Education and Skills in respect of the School Teachers Pay Review Body;

(vi) a transfer of £50,000 from the Department for Transport in respect of the FP6 Sustainable Surface Transport programme;

(vii) a transfer of £524,000 to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in respect of the Red Meat Industry Forum;

(viii) an increase to reflect reclassification of £3,500,000 from the Performance and Innovation Fund in respect of renewable energy;

(ix) reclassification of £2,925,000 to RfR2 in respect of SETNET (Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics Network);

(x) reclassification of £30,000,000 from the non-voted non-fossil fuel obligation in respect of renewable energy;

(xi) reclassification of £271,000 from non-voted expenditure to voted expenditure, to reflect the funding of Smart and Enterprise grant teams and business link regional teams co-location costs, via regional development agencies;

Other Non-voted

There is also take-up of end-year flexibility by regional development agencies of £6,500,000 to provide for bad debts related to broadband aggregation bodies and £10,000,000 for write-downs of stock related to regeneration properties, an increase of £42,000 to reflect a transfer from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for the Sustainable Consumption Round Table, and surrender of £30,000,000 relating to the non-fossil fuel obligation which is no longer required.

RfR2

(i) a transfer of £32,000 to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in respect of the Year of Science in China;

(ii) reclassification of £2,925,000 from RfR1 in respect of SETNET (Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics Network);

Also within the change to resource DEL, the changes to the administration costs limit are (RfR1):

(i) a transfer of £105,000 from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in respect of the Farm Business Advice Service;

(ii) utilisation of £18,000,000 from the unused balance of the department's end-year flexibility entitlement in relation to provisions for the voluntary early retirement scheme;

(iii) a transfer of £1,155,000 from the Cabinet Office in respect of the Parliamentary Counsel Office;

(iv) a transfer of £700,000 to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in relation to Government Office administration;

(v) a reduction of £11,172,000 in respect of the reduction in Radiocommunications Agency non-cash expenditure and associated programme receipts following the transfer of its functions to Ofcom;

(vi) a reduction of £46,780,000 in respect of the reclassification of the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Main Estimate

(i) utilisation of £90,000,000 of the department's 2005–06 departmental expenditure limit for European Regional Development Fund expenditure borne of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's estimate under the procedures for anticipating future years' expenditure that apply to this budget.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

RfR1

(i) utilisation of £70,000,000 from the unused balance of the department's end-year flexibility entitlement for launch investment;

(ii) utilisation of £17,600,000 from the unused balance of the department's end-year flexibility entitlement for Enterprise Fund venture capital;

(iii) utilisation of £12,509,000 from the unused balance of the department's end-year flexibilityentitlement in respect of a shortfall of receipts in relation to commercial best practice;

(iv) a reduction of £12,509,000 in respect of the transfer of the functions of Radiocommunications Agency to Ofcom;

(v) a reduction to reflect reclassification of £3,500,000 from the Performance and Innovation Fund in respect of renewable energy.

RfR2

(i) reclassification of £1,000,000 from voted expenditure to non-voted expenditure, to reflectco-funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, UK Trade & Investment's Resource DEL will be increased by £2,000,000 from £99,087,000 to £101,087,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are set out in the following table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

i. utilisation of £2,000,000 from the unused balance of the Department's End-Year Flexibility entitlement to meet the increased requirement for resources particularly in the regions and on inward investment.

£'000s

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Department for Transport DEL for 2004–05 will be increased by £204,113,000 from £10,943,862,000 to £11,147,975,000 and the administration costs limits will be increased by £5,486,000 from £215,484,000 to £220,970,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The £263,319,000 increase in the voted resource element of the DEL arises from:

(i) take up of £274,096,000 reserve claim for the Highways Agency, in respect of reclassification of expenditure from capital to resource (£40,000,000) and in respect of depreciation of the road network, writedown of fixed assets, net increase in provisions, loss on disposal of assets and provision for bad debts (£234,096,000 non cash);

(ii) take up of £47,200,000 end year flexibility, comprising:

(a) £42,200,000 for the Highways Agency in respect of depreciation of the road network; and

(b) £5,000,000 (administration costs) for central administration;

(iii) a net transfer of £3,189,000 to other government departments, comprising:

(a) £3,300,000 to the Department for Education and Skills for school travel adviser funding;

(b) £297,000 to the Department for Work and Pensions for the Disability Rights Commission and Code of Practice on Transport;

(c) £50,000 to the Department of Trade and Industry for sustainable surface transport;

(d) £28,000 to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs for coast protection and harbour works; partially offset by

(e) £322,000 (administration costs) from the Cabinet Office (Parliamentary Counsel Office) to reflect charges for Parliamentary Counsel;

(f) £25,000 (administration costs) from the Department for Work and Pensions (Health and Safety Executive) for the dangerous goods branch; and

(g) £139,000 (administration costs) from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for local Public Service Agreements (£60,000) and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (£79,000);

(iv) a net transfer to non-voted resource provision of £55,379,000 comprising:

(a) a transfer of £61,699,000 to cover Highways Agency utilisation of provisions;

(b) a transfer of £7,350,000 to cover vehicle excise duty collection costs by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (£5,600,000) and a shortfall in dividends from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and Driving Standards Agency trading funds (£1,750,000); partially offset by

(c) a transfer from DVLA non voted provision of £13,000,000 in respect of a reduction in Vehicle Excise Duty enforcement receipts;

(d) a transfer from non voted provision of £570,000 in respect of Channel Tunnel Rail Link project costs;

(e) a transfer from non voted provision of £100,000 in respect of enforcement activities by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency; and

(v) a drawdown of £591,000 in advance from the European Regional Development Fund PES pool for the European Regional Development Fund.

Within the non-voted resource element of the DEL, there has been an increase of £326,585,000 comprising:

(i) a take up of £235,352,000 reserve claim comprising:

(a) £154,352,000 (non cash) for the Highways Agency for an adjustment in respect of release of provisions; and

(b) £81,000,000 for the Strategic Rail Authority towards funding requirements following the Interim Regulatory Review.

(ii) a transfer of £100,000 to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, to enable the participation of British Transport Police in the key worker scheme;

(iii) a net transfer of £55,379,000 from the voted resource element of the DEL;

(iv) a transfer of £38,631,000 from the voted capital element of the DEL towards Strategic Rail Authority funding requirements following the Interim Regulatory Review;

(v) a net transfer of £2,251,000 to the non voted capital element of the DEL comprising:

(a) a transfer of £4,751,000 in respect of capital expenditure by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency offset by increased non voted resource receipts; partially offset by

(b) a transfer from non voted capital provision of £2,500,000 towards Strategic Rail Authority funding requirements following the Interim Regulatory Review;

(vi) a decrease to reflect reclassification of £426,000 receipts in respect of Humber Bridge interest repayments from non-budget provision to DEL.

As a result of the above changes to the resource element of the DEL there has been an increase of £5,486,000 in the gross administration costs limit, from £215,484,000 to £220,970,000. The decrease of £114,525,000 in the voted capital element of the DEL arises from:

(i) a reduction of £118,000,000 to address an imbalance of Highways Agency budgets arising from reclassification of expenditure between capital and resource;

(ii) a take up of £6,100,000 end year flexibility for the Driver, Vehicle and Operator Group One Stop Service programme;

(iii) a transfer of £1,045,000 from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for central administration;

(iv) a transfer of £38,631,000 to the non voted resource element of the DEL;

(v) a net transfer of £34,432,000 from the non voted capital element of the DEL, comprising:

(a) a transfer of £9,950,000 to increase voted capital provision for Ports and Shipping services, in respect of the reclassification of trust ports as public corporations;

(b) a transfer of £31,609,000 to increase voted capital provision for Greater London Authority Transport Grant, in respect of the East London Line extension and Crossrail; partially offset by

(c) a transfer from voted capital provision of £3,200,000 for the British Transport Police Authority capital programme;

(d) a transfer from Highways Agency voted capital provision of £2,057,000 in respect of de-trunking;

(e) a transfer of £1,870,000 from voted capital provision of the Driver Vehicle and Operator Group to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency trading fund in relation to the One Stop Service programme; and

(vi) a drawdown of £529,000 in advance from the European Regional Development Fund PES pool for the European Regional Development Fund.

The net decrease of £13,121,000 in the non-voted capital element of the DEL arises from:

(i) a reduction of £3,000,000 in departmental unallocated provision;

(ii) a take up of £26,130,000 end year flexibility, comprising:

(a) £26,000,000 for de-trunking;

(b) £130,000 for the Driver, Vehicle and Operator Group One Stop Service programme;

(iii) a net transfer of £2,251,000 from the non-voted resource element of the DEL;

(iv) a net transfer of £34,432,000 to the voted capital element of the DEL; and

(v)a decrease to reflect reclassification of £4,070,000 receipts from non-budget provision to DEL, in respect of principal repayments for Humber Bridge (£1,443,000); Tyne Tunnel (£1,342,000); and the second Mersey Tunnel (£1,285,000).

£'000s

As a result of the 2004–05 winter supplementary estimate, the Wales departmental expenditure limit (DEL) increased by £109,058,000 from £11,789,595,000 to £11,898,653,000.

The increase was a result of:

Take up of EYF entitlement £130,000,000

Additional provision for Child Poverty £78,000

Transfers to and from the National Assembly for Wales:

Transfers In

From DWP for Work Based Learning for Adults £28,000

From DFES for Hardship Loans £591,000

From DWP for Sure Start £184,000

From DoH for Out of Areas Treatments £11,128,000

From DoH for publications £32,000

From Home Office for Operation Tarian £315,000

From Home Office for CRU running costs £602,000

From Home Office for a Business Crime Advisor £52,000

From Home Office for Social Cohesion £64,000

Total £12,996,000

Transfers Out

To the Scottish Executive for the 15th Conference

of the Commonwealth Education Ministers (£100,000)

To the Department for Constitutional Affairs

(transfer of services to the Wales Office) (£490,000)

To the Met Office for NMP and NSWWS (£611,000)

To DWP for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Subsidy (£23,615,000)

To DWP for Administration Subsidy 2004–05 (£9,200,000)

Total (£34,016,000)

Net transfers out (£21,020,000)

Net change to Wales DEL £109,058,000

As a result of the above transfers provision within the Wales Office increased by £490,000. This expenditure is contained within the single DCA DEL and Administration Costs Limit.

Spring Supplementary Estimate 2004–05

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Wales Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) Wales Administration costs will be increased by £287,528,000 from £11,413,862,000 to £11,701,390,000.

The changes are a result of:

The take-up of Departmental Expenditure Limit end year flexibility of for the National Assembly for Wales; £156,000,000

Net transfers from other Government Departments to the National Assembly for Wales of £2,106,000

The movement of the Supporting People programme from AME to DEL £121,000,000

A machinery of Government change with the responsibility for the Fire Service devolved to the National Assembly for Wales. This has led to an increase to the DEL. £8,422,000

Net change to Wales DEL £287,528,000

Transfers are as follows:

Transfer In

From the DWP for Adult Learning Inspectorate; £200,000

From the Home Office for Prison Health—Pay Uplift; £51,000

From the Home Office for Prison Health - (Estate Planning and Development Group) £71,000

From the DoH for Dental Sift; £13,000

From the DoH for High Security Psychiatric Services; £192,000

From the DoH for Cross Border Flows £2,024,000

From the Scotland Office for Out of Areas Treatments £14,000

From the Northern Ireland Office for Out of Areas Treatments £7,000

From the Home Office for Golden Jubilee Awards £34,000

Total £2,606,000

Transfers Out

To DfES for part time student support; (£500,000)

Total (£500,000)

Net Transfer Total £2,106,000

The increase in DEL will be charged to the reserve or offset by transfers from other Departments and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

Wales DEL provision for Wales Office increased by £16,000 as a result of a transfer from Parliamentary Counsel Office. Wales Office spending is contained within single Department of Constitutional Affairs Departmental Expenditure Limit and Administration Costs Limit.

On behalf of my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the BFI inspection report on the London Borough of Redbridge was published on 17 February 2005 and copies of the report are available in the Library.

In 2003–04, the London Borough of Redbridge administered some £82.1 million in housing benefits, about 13.5 per cent. of its gross revenue expenditure. BFI reviewed the counter-fraud arrangements in place to protect these significant sums, at the invitation of the Borough.

BFI found that Redbridge gives a high priority to combating benefit fraud and that the Investigation Team is experienced and sharply focused on deterring fraud. The Team raises a considerable number of sanctions against fraudsters and is well supported by council Members and managers.

However, BFI have serious concerns about:

inappropriate use of authorised individual's powers when obtaining information from third parties;

a poor relationship with the department's Counter Fraud Investigation Service;

non-compliance with the provisions of the code of practice on covert surveillance;

failure to follow the Department's guidance on the administration of formal cautions;

breaches of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 in half of the interviews under caution examined by BFI;

the nature of referrals from the Metropolitan Police to the Investigation Team.

My Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and may ask the council for its proposals in response to BFI's findings and recommendations.

BFI will continue to undertake inspections focused on counter-fraud arrangements in other local authorities.

BFI is an independent unit within the Department for Work and Pensions that inspects and reports directly to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the standard of Benefits administration and counter-fraud activity in local authorities and the Department itself.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department for Work and Pensions DEL will be increased by £151,841,000 from £8,497,041,000 to £8,648,882,000 and the administration costs limits will be increased by £124,621,000 from £5,995,966,000 to £6,120,587,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

£'000s

* Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

RfR2

i. an increase in provision of £24,000,000 (grants) in Section Z due to increased spending by the European Social Fund with an equivalent increase in appropriations in aid in Section AC (take up of end of year flexibility);

ii. an increase in provision of £297,000 (administration costs) due to a transfer from the Department for Transport for work on a code of practice for transport;

iii. an increase in provision of £122,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to a transfer from the Department for Constitutional Affairs for implementation of the Fines Project;

iv. an increase in provision of £1,377,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to a transfer from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in respect of Neighbourhood Renewal;

v. an increase in provision of £131,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to a transfer from the Scottish Executive in respect of work undertaken by the Disability Rights Commission;

vi. an increase in provision of £65,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to a transfer from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the administration costs of local Public Service Agreements;

vii. an increase in provision of £600,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to a transfer from the Department for Education and Skills in respect of Young Persons' Bridging Allowance;

viii. a reduction in provision of £5,750,000 (other current) in Section B due to a transfer to the Department for Education and Skills for costs incurred by the Adult Learning Inspectorate;

ix. a reduction in provision of £200,000 (other current) in Section B due to a transfer to the Welsh Assembly for costs incurred by the Adult Learning Inspectorate;

x. a reduction in provision of £25,000 (administration costs) in Section C due to a transfer to the Department for Transport in relation to the Carriage of Dangerous Goods;

RfR3

xi. an increase in provision of £100,000 (administration costs) due to a transfer from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in respect of Neighbourhood Renewal;

xii. a reduction in provision of £63,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to a transfer to Northern Ireland SSA in respect of work on Winter Fuel payments;

RfR5

xiii. an increase in provision of £115,000,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to additional spending on Departmental Modernisation (end of year flexibility);

xiv. a reduction in provision of £420,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to a transfer to the Inland Revenue in respect of the Payment Modernisation Project;

xv. a reduction in provision of £1,241,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to a transfer to the Inland Revenue for the costs of the Cheque Payment Service;

RfR6

xvi. an increase in provision of £13,000,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to additional spending by Corporate Services (end of year flexibility);

xvii. an increase in provision of £326,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to a transfer from the Cabinet Office for funding of the Parliamentary Counsel Office;

xviii. an increase in provision of £252,000 (administration costs) in Section A due to a transfer from the Scottish Executive for work carried out on the Family Resources Survey;

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

RfR5

xix. an increase in provision of £4,000,000 in Section A due to increased spending on Departmental Modernisation (take up of End Year Flexibility);

Administration Costs

The movement in the Administration Cost limit arises from those items noted above as affecting administration costs plus the following item which is neutral in terms of overall resource DEL but which impacts the Administration Cost limit:

xx. a transfer of £4,900,000 from administration to other current in respect of the Employment Development and Modernisation Fund;

Movements from Non-voted expenditure

Additionally there are the following draw downs that are neutral in overall DEL terms:

Departmental Unallocated Provision

xxi. £5,000,000 into RfR1 for additional costs incurred by the Child Support Agency;

xxii. £2,000,000 into RfR2 for additional costs incurred by the Health and Safety Executive in connection with the Cullen report;

xxiii. £1,950,000 into RfR3 for additional costs incurred by the Pension Service;

xxiv. £76,507,000 into RfR6 for additional costs incurred by Corporate Services;

Welfare Modernisation Fund

xxv. £74,122,000 (resource) and £22,800,000 (capital) into RfR5 for expenditure on the modernisation of the Department;

Employment Development Fund

xxvi. £83,000,000 into RfR2 for employment related expenditure;

Employment Development and Modernisation Fund

xxvii. £74,700,000 into RfR2 for employment related expenditure.